Water-heater



' (No Model.)

W. J. EDWARDS.

WATER HEATER.

No. 560,848. Patented May 26, 1896.

B. GRAHAM. PNOTOAUTHU- WAS H l NGTU N. DE.

NITED STATES PATENT Prion.

WATER-HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,848, datedMay 26,1896.

Application filed September 12, 1895. Serial No. 562,286. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. Enwnnns, of Chicago, inthe county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin ater-Heaters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gas water-heaters moreespecially intended for use in heating the contents of uprightkitchen-range tanks and the like.

One principal object of the invention is to provide a construction intubular water-heaters calculated to give the water to be heated a morethan ordinarily advantageous circulation with respect to the parts towhich external heat is applied.

Another principal object is to make such construction in the form of anintegral casting containing only screw-joints, whereby'absoluteexemption from leakage may be assured Still another object is to providefor the more complete utilization of the heat of the gas-burner, theparts being so constructed and arranged that after the jet-flames haveacted upon the tubesof the water-heaterthey and the products ofcombustion may pass on and act effectively upon the bottom of the tankwith which the heater is connected.

Simplicity of construction and consequent reduction of cost in making,assembly, and repair is also aimed at, as will appear more fully fromthe detailed description.

shown in central vertical section.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, and it will be readilyunderstood from the following description of the accompanying drawings,which represent the best embodiment of my invention now known to me.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the lower portion of an ordinarykitchen-tank with my invention, the tank and heater being Fig. 2 is atop plan View of the heater, the inlet and outlet pipes being shown inhorizontal section and portions of one end being broken away to reducethe size of the figure. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken inthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig.4 is a transverse vertical sec tion taken in the line 4 4 of Fig. 2..Fig. 5 is a front end elevation of the heater. Fig. 6 is a bottom planView of the front end portion of the heater.

Referring to said drawings, A designates as a whole a kitchen-range tankof conventional form, comprising an' upright hollow cylinder A,supported by an open-topped standard A At the center of the bottom A ofthe tank is formed an aperture within which is threaded one end of anipple or short tube A, the protruding end of which is exteriorlyscrewthreaded, as seen at a.

B designates the water-heater as a whole, which is shown as when madeentirely of cast metal and in a single jointless piece. Said heatercomprises as its principal features a plurality of parallel water-tubesB B, ar-

municating with the central portions of all of the parallel tubes 13excepting the outer ones, which communicate with the upper chamber B Atthe center of the upper chamber B is formed a boss or hub b, which iscentrally tapped at b to receive the nipple A said nipple at onceserving to support the heater from the tank and to give communicationbetween the lower part of the tank interior and the chamber B of theheater. A somewhat similar boss 19 is provided at the center of thelower wall of the lower chamber B and through this is tapped an aperture1)", smaller than that of the upper chamber and in axial alinement withthe latter. The'aperture 17*,

The circulation of the water from the boiler to the heater, through thelatter, and back to the boiler is asfollows: The colder, and thereforeheavier, water at the bottom of the boiler passes down through thenipple to the central upper chamber B and thence laterally outward atopposite sides of the chamber through the passages B to the outer onesof the parallel tubes B. Here the water again divides, going in oppositedirections through said-outer tubes to the end headers B from whichlatter it flows through all of the inner ones of the parallel tubes tothe lower central chamber B as indicated clearly by the arrows insectional Fig. From the lower chamber the water rises through the pipe 0to the upper part of the tank or boiler.

B B designate depending flanges, preferably and as herein shown formedintegrally with the outer sides of the headers B and extending somedistance below the lower surface of the parallel tubes, the purpose ofsaid flanges being to form the side walls of a housing surrounding theburner. Said flanges are extended a short distance beyond the ends ofthe main body of the heater at each end thereof and their extremevertical end margins turned at right angles inwardly to formretaining-flanges B B between which and the body of the heater removableend plates D D are placed by sliding them Vert-ically down with theirend margins engaged with the ways b 1), formed between said flanges B B"and the body of the heater. The upper edges of the end plates areprovided with inturned flanges B B, which limit their downward movementwhen the proper position is reached, the lower margins of said endplates being arranged to extend down coincident with the bottom marginof the side flanges B B when the flanges B B rest in contact with theupper surface of the heater, thus forming, with the side flanges B B, avalance extending entirely around the heater.

E E and E E designate a plurality (in this instance four) aperturesarranged in a series extending across the lower side of each end plate DD, the several apertures of one plate being arranged opposite those ofthe other. The apertures E E of the plate D are preferably round and ofproper size to receive loosely therein tubular burners F,while theapertures E of the plate D are smaller and of rectangular form toreceive the correspondinglyshaped ends of bosses f, formed on the endcaps or closures F of the said burners, thus serving both to support theends of the burnertubes and to prevent said tubes from turning in theirsupports. The burner-tubes are thus supported immediately beneath thewaterspaces of the heater and are of such length as to extend the fulllength of the heater and protrude some distance at the front or that endprovided with the round supporting-apertures E. The upper sides of theportions of the tubes within the heater are provided with a plurality ofevenly-distributed jet-openings f f The outer end of each burner-tube isprovided with a reducing-cap f having a central aperture f of lessdiameter than the interior diameter of the tube, said apertures f beingseverally adapted to receive the ends of short branch gas or vaporsupply pipes or nipples g, connected with a main supply-pipe G, whichextends transversely across the end of the burner. The main supply-pipeG is suitably capped or closed at one end g, while its other end isadapted for connection with any suitable source of fuel supply. Each ofthe burner-tubes F is transversely slotted or provided with an apertureflocated approximately opposite the end of the inlet-nipple g, andpreferably upon the under side of the burner, through which slot air isentrained by the jet of gas issuing from the inlet-pipe g. The interiorof the burner-tube thus per forms the function of a mixing-chamber. Inorder to hold the burner-tubes in position within their bearings in theend plates and at the same time support the supply-pipe G against theends of said burner with the nipples thereof projecting within thelatter, a bracket II, provided with a hooked end 11, which engages thesupply-pipe G, is secured to the outer face of the end plate D by meansof one or more suitable screw-bolts h. It will be obvious from theforegoing that by simply loosening and removing the bracket H thesupply-pipes may be removed, the burners Withdrawn, and the end platesremoved, thus separating the heater and its several individual parts.

J J designate screw-plugs employed to close the core-holes necessary forcasting the hollow parts of the heater integral and aifording access tothe interior to remove sediment.

I I designate igniting-apertures in the end plate D, through which theseveral burners may be conveniently lighted after the gas or vapor hasbeen turned on.

The water circulation of the burner having been described need not behere repeated. It will be obvious, however, that a very large amount ofheating-surface is provided, and also that the water in its circulationfrom the point at which it enters the heater constantly approaches ahotter and hotter part of the heater in its tortuous passage through thelatter until it finally reaches the exit-pipe at the center and hottestpart of the heater. This arrangement greatly facilitates and augmentsthe circulation of the water, and the latter is therefore rapidly raisedin temperature. Furthermore, all the products of combustion,after havingacted on the heater, pass upward through the spaces between thewatertubes and act upon the concave bottom of the tank, thus furtheraiding in heating the water.

The construction set forth, in which the entire heating-coil is castintegral and contains only screwjoints, is a feature of importance,inasmuch as it is comparatively easy to make screw-joints fit and remainperfectly tight in use, while in the case of rectilinear joints andscams it is very difficult to do so, and leaks are of common occurrence.

I claim as my invention- 1. A tubular water-heater provided with acentrally-located top inlet above a series of connecting-tubes, passagesleading radially outward from said inlet to the outer tubes, and acentrally-located exit-opening communicating with the inner tubes,substantially as described. I

2. A water-heater provided with a centrallylocated top inlet, a passageleading radially and horizontally outward from said inlet andcommunicating with a return-passage, said return-passage being arrangedin a horizontal plane below and parallel with that of the outwardpassage,and a centrally-located exitopening communicating with saidreturn-passage, substantially as described.

3. A tubular water-heater provided with a centrally-located top inlet,passages leading radially and horizontally outward from said inlet, aplurality of tubes or return-passages communicating with said outwardpassage, and a centrally-located exit-opening with which saidreturn-passages communicate, substantially as described.

4. A tubular water-heater provided with a centrally-located top inlet, apassage leading radially outward from said-inlet, and a plurality oftortuous return-passages communicating with said outward passage, and acentrally-located exit-opening with which each of said return-passagescommunicates, substantially as described.

5. A water-heater provided with a centrallylocated inlet, a passageleading radially outward from said inlet, and a plurality ofreturn-passages communicating with said outward passage, openingsextending through the heater between said return-passages, and

a centrally-located exit opening through which each of saidreturn-passages communicates, substantially as described.

6. A water-heater provided with a centrallylocated top inlet, passagesleading radially outward from said inlet, a plurality of watertubesarranged parallel with each other, transversely of said radial passages,header-chambers at each end of said parallel water-tubes, with which thelatter communicate, passages connecting said radial passages with saidheaters, and a central eXit-openin g with which said parallelwater-tubes communicate, substantially as described.

7. A water-heater provided with a centrallylocated top inlet, passagesleading radially outward from said inlet, a plurality of watertubesarranged parallel with each other transversely of said radial passages,intervening spaces between said parallel water-tubes, header-chambers ateach end of said parallel tubes with which the latter communicate,passages connecting said radial passages with said headers, and acentral opening with which said parallel water-tubes communicate,substantially as described.

8. A water-heater provided with a centrallylocated upperinlet-chamber,passages leading radially and horizontally outward fromsaid inlet-chamber and communicating with a plurality of return-passagesarranged in a lower horizontal plane, a centrally-located lower chamberwith which each of said return-passages communicates, and an exit-pipeleading from said lower chamber upwardly, said heater being formed of asingle integral casting, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with a tank having an exteriorly-concave bottom, ofa water-heater arranged beneath and adjacent to said concave bottom andprovided with a centrallylocated upper inlet-chamber communicating withthe lower part of said tank, passages leading radially and horizontallyoutward from said inlet-chamber, a plurality of returnpassages arrangedin a lower plane parallel with and communicating with said outwardpassages, a centrally-located lower. chamber with which each of saidreturn-passagescommunicates, and an exit-pipe connected with said lowerchamber, passing upwardly through said upper chamber and theinletopening thereof and communicating with the upper part of the tank,said exit-pipe being of less exterior diameter than the diameter of saidinlet-opening, substantially as described.

10. A water-heater comprising a heatingcoil arranged in a horizontalplane, intervening spaces between the parts of said coil, a dependingflange surrounding said heatingcoil, and a burner arranged beneath thecoil, substantially as described.

11. The combination with a tank having a concave bottom, of awater-heater arranged beneath and adjacent to said concave bottom andprovided with an inlet-opening, a heatin g-coil arranged in a horizontalplane, communicating with said inlet-opening, intervening spaces betweenthe parts of said coil, a depending flange surrounding said heatingcoil,and a burner arranged beneath the coil,

WILLIAM J. EDWARDS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. GRAvEs, WILLIAM L. HALL.

